On November 6th, 2024,  Noreen Burroughes Cesareo was invited to Paris to be part of a panel in an inspiring workshop on women entrepreneurs in supply chains, held following the meeting of the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions & Cities supported by the US Mission to the OECD.

The agenda was thought-provoking and included presentations from #LuciaCusomano, David Halabisky, Jane Korinek, as well as panel discussions.

The workshop focussed on the unique challenges to women’s participation in global supply chains, including financing, government regulation, education and skills, and discrimination. It presented best practices from public and private sector initiatives to support the participation of women-owned businesses in global trade. It aimed to support women entrepreneurs by raising awareness about tools and resources for exporting their products to global markets.

Alongside fellow panelists Andréa Dih Kahn, EMBA Sandra Odendahl,#TriciaVanOrden and host Rachel Dignam, they discussed the importance of NGOs, BSOs & other organisations within the ecosystem. It was an opportunity to hear from governments, private sector and NGOs on the challenges inherent within the global supply chains. As President of OWIT UK and Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) Executive Vice President, she shared our support and approach to trade facilitation and our pillars. She also spoke about the various initiatives undertaken by OWIT UK with our partners including Savvitas, The Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade, WEConnect International, ICC United Kingdom and hashtag#APPGWomenandEnterprise and the UK Department for Business and Trade.

Key takeaways:

⚠Women are still under-represented in entrepreneurship and few women entrepreneurs are trading internationally – firms led by men are almost twice as likely to sell in foreign markets as firms led by women. Challenges include not knowing where to start and lacking the financial resources and support to deliver products and services on a larger scale.

👏Participating in supply chains can drive growth for women-led businesses and we saw many examples of success in a range of sectors, including those that are operating in sectors traditionally dominated by male-led businesses (e.g. medical technologies, mining). Mentors often play an important role in this success.

🤝 Key to enabling women entrepreneurs to access opportunities in supply chains is through working together. The corporate sector is recognising the benefits of supply chain diversity and there are a growing number of tools and resources available for larger companies and entrepreneurs. Networks play an important role in spreading this knowledge and making connections.